So tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest day we have had all year, getting up to 100 degrees and my apartment complex is turning off our electricity for the entire day!! They have been adding new buildings and need to turn off the electric to add it on to the new building next to ours. I'm hoping they cancel it but assuming they don't I need to figure out the best way to keep my dog safe.
We are on the third floor and she is a 50lb shiba inu/german shepherd mix, so she is medium size with a lot of fur. I'm really worried about her over heating. She stays in the crate while DH and I are at work but without the AC I feel like I should leave her out of the crate so she can have access to enough water and be able to move around and find cooler spots if she needs it. Would it be best to leave all the windows and blinds closed to keep the heat out or to open all the windows and hope there is a breeze coming in? We have no one who can watch her so that is not really an option.
I really hope they reschedule this!
Re: NBR - What to do with pet in the heat?
I would let her out of the crate, but keep her in a gated area so she doesn't terrorize your apt. If you dont have a gate maybe move some furniture to box her in. Extra water is a must.
If you can, take her to get groomed tonight. Maybe they can shave her down. Thats what we did with our spaniel. Also, an electric fan might be an option. This way she can just plop down under it. I worry about my pup all the time. Today we left the AC on for him... bills bills bills
This! Leaving pup inside without AC on a day like that is cruel.
I agree. That just seems WAY too hot for such a puffy dog. Is there a friend who can watch her or even just let her stay at their house in her crate?
If you have to leave her at home don't keep the windows closed, that will turn your apartment into a virtual oven. Keep the blinds down, windows wide open and fans on. Lots and lots of water available. I would call the apartment property management company and request that they reschedule, that is not safe at that high temp, not for animals, or the extremely young or elderly.
Also get on weather.com, if they have issued a heat warning for your county, that may be enough to force the company to reschedule. It is basically like a state of emergency and they could be legally bound to keep your basic services on during the heat warning.
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
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I'm calling the office as soon as they open and ask them about rescheduling. There is a heat warning issued for today that I suspect will be extended for tomorrow but they usually issue them late, I would be surprised to see one this early. I usually leave the AC and a fan going for her but with no electricity I obviously will have neither. We just moved so I don't have anyone close by that can watch her and haven't had her set up with a new vet yet. I'll call around and see if there are any boarding places that may be able to take her. I'm worried they won't though because she is up to date on all of her shots but not the boarding specific ones...I can't remember if any of them need to be in their system for a certain period before they can board? For some reason I'm thinking bordetella does but I could be wrong. She can't go to a doggy daycare because she is dog aggressive and I think they usually have the dogs together socializing?
They can update the shots and keep her on the same day. That's how our vet does it.
Elizabeth Grace 11.20.05 Nora June 7.15.08 Beatrix Catherine 9.4.12
Most vets will update the shots on the same day.
If you are unable to board her you can fill a quart sized bag with water and freeze it, and then unwrap it and put it in her water bowl so that it slowly melts so she has cool drinking water for the day. If you have any tile in your house, perhaps in the bathroom you could leave her in that room so she could lay on something cooler. As PP have said, I would leave the windows open and the shades drawn so that there is some fresh air circulating.
What concerned me more about your prior post though is that it sounded like she doesn't normally have access to water while in the crate during the day?
Home Birthing-Breastfeeding-Cloth Diapering-Baby Wearing-CoSleeping-Delayed/Selective Vaccination Mama to Charlie (5yrs) and Madeline (21mos)
I said if I left her in the crate she wouldn't have enough water, she has access to water in the crate but not an amount that I think would be sufficient if she were to get at all hot. I like the idea of freezing some of the water so it melts. I left a message with the complex hoping they are cancelling and I have a couple vets/kennels in the area I'm going to call on my lunch to see if they will take her for a day.
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This was also my concern. Whether the dog has A/C or not, she needs water during the day.
Board her. It's cruel to keep her roasting with a heat advisory in action.
Edit: didn't read other comments first, so didn't know about the extreme heat.
I found a vet that will take her. The first two I called didn't have room since it's summer I guess they fill up quickly with vacations. But she is in somewhere, so that's a load off.
And thanks for posting that Bayleigh! I will definitely keep up on her brushings but I wouldn't shave her. I didn't think of it like you described all I know is I had a border collie years ago that my parents shaved one year and her hair never grew back the same. But your reason for not shaving is a great point.
Glad you found somewhere to take her tomorrow.
Couldn't agree more! She needs relief from the heat just like people do...especially with all that hair!
Glad you got this taken care of with a vet- but I wanted to add what my suggestion would have been in case you run into the problem again. Maybe it's not the best suggestion, just what i would do if I couldn't find anyone else to take the dog for the day.
I would personally leave her in a gated area where she has access to the bathroom, leave a towel soaked with cold water on the floor and leave the tub at a very slow drip with cold water into a bowl (obviously, leave the drain free- otherwise you'll have a flooding mess on your hands when you get home). Then you know the dog has a cool place to lay and access to water all day. Plus the bathroom usually has cooler floors to start with.
I definitely agree with the boarding or pet sitter for the day.
If you can't do that, I'd keep her out of the crate and put her in the bathroom. Put a few inches of cold water in the tub, so she can cool off if she wants. My St. Bernard loves to lay on the tile floor of the bathroom on hot days, and loves the tub. Even with the AC on in the bedroom, she usually hangs out on the bathroom or kitchen floor.